By Ryan Schwach
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards allocated $1 million on Monday to kickstart the second phase of work to upgrade select bus service on Woodhaven Boulevard.
The funding – which also kicks off another installment of Richards’ “Borough Hall on Your Block” program – will help the MTA upgrade service along Woodhaven Boulevard’s Q52 and Q53 routes.
The city’s Department of Design and Construction will begin next year, when they upgrade 16 bus stops, 17 sidewalk extensions, 12 shortened pedestrian crossings and 38 medians. The plan will also include seven new pedestrian crossings, three raised crosswalks and the planting of more than 75 new street trees.
“This work will bring real improvements to the lives of bus riders and residents of South Queens,” Richards said Monday at the busy, three-way intersection of Woodhaven and Rockaway Boulevards and Liberty Avenue. “This is about safety, and we’re going to yield real results.”
The initial rollout of the SBS buses and bus lanes along Woodhaven Boulevard caused some controversy in the community in 2017. Locals said they were concerned that the elimination of a car lane would lead to more traffic and congestion.
However, officials said on Monday they think the results speak for themselves.
According to the BP and the MTA, buses have run 10 percent faster since the change, and travel times went down by about three minutes.
“This translates to more time with their friends, more time with family,” said President of New York City Transit Demetrious Crichlow. “This makes the time to spend with people that they love, rather than spending it on the bus, sitting in traffic.”
Safety, which is the ultimate goal of this allocation, also increased along the busy thoroughfare.
Pedestrian injuries are down 20 percent, crashes are down 36 percent and cyclist injuries are down 80 percent, according to the BP.
“That’s real progress,” he said.
Richards will continue this week’s iteration of Borough Hall on Your Block throughout the week within Queens Community Board 10.